Over the weekend, Dumke Family Stadium became a winter wonderland as the University of Utah Softball team welcomed the No. 9 Washington Huskies into town for a series of three. The series was cut short, however, after a sudden blizzard overtook the Wasatch front, prompting authorities to cancel Sunday’s match.
Game One
In the team’s history, Utah has brought down Washington only 12 times out of 45 games. The Huskies’ winning record this season, meant the Utes had a tough team to deal with. Washington was the first to come out on top, loading the bases early on in the second inning. A double from their center fielder put two runs on the board, but Utah put an end to the run before any more were added.
The Utes took their time coming back, first overcoming a pair of strikeouts in the second and a pair of foulouts in the third. Finally, Julia Jimenez got on base in the fourth before Reese Lee switched her out to pinch run to second. An error from Washington’s third base allowed Sophie Jacquez to walk before freshman Shonty Passi delivered a single to far right field, earning her a double RBI as Lee and Jacquez crossed home to tie up the score.
A homer from Washington rallied them ahead again in the fifth, but Utah came back with two more in the bottom of the inning after an Abby Dayton double sent Karlie Davison and Hailee White flying home. With the Utes up by one, Haley Denning stepped in to deliver a solid hit of her own, pushing Dayton up to third. Jacquez was the last Ute up to bat, grounding out to second base, giving enough time for Dayton to complete her run. The Huskies managed one more homer in the top of the seventh, but ultimately never caught up to Utah as they fell 5-4.
“Finding a way to win that game was huge for us,” said Head Coach Amy Hogue after the match. “Ending the game with a double play was fitting … we executed on defense perfectly. Tonight was a great team win.”
Game Two
Utah was the one to start the action on Saturday, with Aliya Belarde delivering the first hit with a single out to left. Belarde moved up to second after Dayton walked, and she was quickly sent home after Kaylah Nelsen added another RBI to her name with a single of her own. Dayton made it to third, but couldn’t quite get home before the Huskies shut down the play.
Washington came close in the second inning, getting two players on base before Nelsen tagged a Husky out at first. Utah’s second run of the game came in the next inning, as a Passi single helped the freshman to second base. A hit from Denning pushed her to third, and Dayton walked to first, handing Passi her first run of the weekend. A clean single followed by a double from Washington in the third got the Huskies on the board, but afterwards the No. 9 team struggled in the way of hits. The same could be said for Utah, but fortunately their work was done, and they ended the day with another win, 2-1.
The series win over Washington marked the end of regular-season Pac-12 play for the Utes, and the team now looks forward to the start of the Pac-12 Tournament this weekend. Utah will face off against the University of Oregon this Thursday.
a.thomas@dailyutahchronicle.com
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